“Eat When You’re Hungry” … But What About When You’re Not?

How many times have you heard the phrase “eat when you’re hungry”?

If you’re like me, you have mixed feelings about this adage. On the one hand, I couldn’t agree more… big yes to eating when hungry. On the other hand, for most people, the reality is a LOT more complicated.

I think of hunger like music playing faintly in the background of a store; how easily we can tune into that music depends on the volume it’s being played at, and how much is going on in the store. Those variables can differ greatly based on a bunch of factors, both person-to-person, and day-to-day.

I think it would take me 50 blog posts to even begin to unpack the full topic of hunger in all its nuance, but today we’ll be discussing a few of the aspects that I see talked about less often.

• the various signs of hunger

• what can disrupt our access to hunger signals

• strategies to help nourish ourselves adequately when hunger may be unreliable

What are some potential signs of hunger? 

First off, hunger is experienced differently by everyone. I’ve heard from many people I’ve worked with that it’s a big aha moment to start thinking of hunger as a signal that can show up in many ways - not just a growling belly. And in fact, many people never feel their bellies growl. Here are a few other things to look out for:

• Energy level
  If you find your energy level dipping and a feeling of sluggishness or sleepiness creeping in, I encourage you to ask yourself if it could be time for a meal or snack.

• Concentration 
  Noticing a waning focus or that your thinking isn’t as sharp as it was an hour or two ago is a good time to check in on whether your body may be asking you for food.

• Mood
  Beginning to feel more snappy and less patient is yet another indicator that the fuel tank could be running low.

Many people have been encouraged to override their internal sensations in a whole bunch of ways. After years of doing something one way, we don’t expect things to shift overnight. So *IF* tuning into hunger is something you are striving for (and it’s okay if it’s not!), I can’t emphasize enough that it’s a messy, imperfect process with no right or wrong steps.

What if I think I’m hungry, but it doesn’t seem like time to eat?

If the first major challenge about hunger is that it can be really tricky to detect (more on that below), then another is that if we do detect it, our brains can have a whole different opinion on when and how much we should be eating. 

Let me paint a fictional picture: Imagine it is 2pm and Gabby ate lunch an hour and a half ago. Her body is beginning to feel like it’s melting into her chair, she’s noticing thoughts pop up about what foods remain in her lunchbox, and she’s sensing some brain fog creeping in as she tries to focus on work. 

She thinks to herself that she couldn’t possibly be hungry; she had a filling, balanced lunch just 90 minutes ago. Here’s what I would say to Gabby: there are SO many reasons you might be hungry more quickly than usual! Our bodies are constantly trying to equilibrate, and sometimes eating sooner rather than later is a way of doing so. 

It is also really common to experience intense, frequent hunger when we are renourishing ourselves after a period of not eating enough food. 

What can disrupt our access to hunger cues?
AKA factors that can turn down the volume of the music, or turn up how busy the store is (see metaphor above!)

• History of undernourishment
  When a body has experienced restriction - whether related to an eating disorder, food insecurity or other reason - it can have a profound impact on hunger. At certain stages of scarcity, hunger may be very heightened, and at other stages, it may be very blunted (this is not universal).
  

• Depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges
  It is really common for depression to decrease people’s appetite, and anxiety can have a similar impact for some. Emotional states like grief and intense excitement/anticipation can also make it hard to gauge our hunger.
  

• Intense physical activity
  For a variety of physiological reasons, many people do not feel hungry in the hours after a really intense bout of exercise.
  

• Medication
  Countless medications have an appetite-suppressing effect.
  

• Physical illness
  Many forms of illness - ranging from things like the flu to more serious diagnoses - can blunt our appetites, as can their treatments.
  

• Neurodivergence
  It is common for neurodivergent people to struggle with awareness of internal sensations (interoception) - which hunger cues falls under.
  

• Disconnection from bodily sensations
  For people with trauma, experiencing physical sensations can be incredibly distressing. It can be really adaptive to become disconnected from those sensations. 

If you ask me, that is a LOT of possible reasons our hunger cues could be an unreliable means of guiding our eating. And I’d argue that many - if not most - people are going to find themselves in that boat at some point in their lives. 

So, what if I’m pretty sure my hunger is an unreliable way of deciding how much to eat right now? 

First off, can we acknowledge what an empowering realization that is?! There is truly nothing wrong with relying on cues outside of ourselves to make sure we are eating enough. 

In fact, a big part of my philosophy around food is centering our unique needs and doing what works for *us* to nourish ourselves, as opposed to relying on others to tell us how and what we should be eating. Making use of external tools to ensure we are eating enough totally fits that bill. 

Here are a just few possible strategies:

• Setting timers
  
  If you know you are prone to going long stretches without eating, it can be a great idea to set a timer for every few hours to either check in with your body, or to go ahead and have a meal or snack at those times.
  

• Having visual cues
  
  We hear a lot of diet-centric recommendations to keep food out of sight in order to eat less of it. I think for some people the exact opposite is helpful. Having visual cues such as non-perishable snacks or plates/cutlery visible throughout the day can put food back on your radar.
  

• Having an eating framework
  
  For some, having a structure to eating (for example, 3 meals and 3 snacks daily) can help create routine and prevent the feeling that all day is spent trying to decide whether or not it’s time to eat.
  

If you’re sitting there feeling like you have a lot of unanswered questions, I hear you 100000%. There is nothing wrong with you if hunger and knowing how much to eat are parts of life that feel anything but simple. This is where support from a skilled registered dietitian can be so helpful. They will work with you to help uncover what clues we may be able to uncover about what works best for you.

Are you looking for dietitian support? I offer virtual nutrition counselling to adults in Ottawa and the rest of Ontario.
Learn more about my services.

This blog post is not a substitute for personal eating disorder care and is intended for educational purposes only.

Related post: I Can’t Stop Thinking About Food - HELP!